How It Should Be
by CombinationLock
Summary: A one-shot that takes place during the time Ron is gone in the Deathly Hallows Part 1 movie.  This is what I imagine is going through Harry and Hermione's heads.  Well, mostly Harry's.  Rated T just in case...


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters- they all belong to J.K. Rowling. If I did own HP, Harry and Hermione would have gotten together in the end.

**A/N:** Hey, just wanted to say thanks for checking out my story. :) It's my first attempt at anything like this, so I hope it's okay. ^^ This is what I imagine going through Harry and Hermione's (mostly Harry's...) heads during the period of time in the Deathly Hallows movie while Ron was absent. Yes, it is based off of the movie (I really need to reread the books T^T). And I know, the second flashback kinda sucks- I just made it up so I apologize if it sounds lame or unbelievable. Anyways, hope you enjoy! :)

How It Should Be

"_You think I don't know how this feels?"_

"_No, you DON'T know how this feels! Your parents are DEAD. You have no family!"_

_That was all Harry could take and he lunged at Ron. After wrestling with one another for a few moments, Hermione managed to separate the two._

_The two boys stood there glaring at one another for what felt like ages to Hermione. Finally, Harry spoke:_

"_I thought you knew what you signed up for."_

"_So did I." Ron picked up his bags and headed towards the tent's exit. "And what about you?" Ron shot at Hermione. "Are you coming or are you staying?"_

"_Ron…please…" Hermione looked at Harry, then back at Ron, but said no more._

"_Fine, I get it. You choose him," Ron said. "I saw you guys last night."_

"_Ron, that was nothing! There's nothing!"_

_Harry stood there with a confused look on his face- *What is Ron talking about?* _

_He ran over the last night's events through his head: It was Hermione's turn to keep watch, but when he went to check on her, she wasn't there. He went out to look for her and found three Snatchers walking away. *Thank Merlin for Hermione and her talent for spells* he thought. _

"_They could smell my perfume," she revealed to him as they were walking back to the tent._

"_Well, Hermione, as much as I love your perfume, next time just don't wear it," Harry replied with a friendly smile. And Ron was standing right outside the tent, watching them walk up together and just within earshot to hear Harry's last comment._

_*Ah…* He suddenly realized how that could seem odd. But of course he didn't say anything; he was in no mood to even look at Ron right now, let alone try to fix a misunderstanding._

_And with one last glare at Hermione's worried face and receiving a glare right back from Harry, Ron stepped out of the tent and Disapparated. Hermione fell to the floor in tears._

That was about a week ago, and the pair had since packed up and moved from that forest where Ron left to a rocky cliff-side. Hermione was wearing the locket, but both were inside the tent. Harry was sitting in a chair thinking about everything that had been going on, when suddenly his eyes landed on Hermione.

She was sitting on a step near the edge of her bed, listening intently to the radio. Suddenly, Harry's thoughts wandered to a time that felt like it was from a different lifetime: the end of their 4th year at Hogwarts…

_It was after the students from the visiting schools had left, and Harry noticed something different about Ron. It was the way he looked at, the way he talked about, the way he interacted with Hermione. Harry couldn't help but to think if he himself had changed in the same way. He realized that Ron had fallen for their best friend: Hermione._

_However, it was clear to everyone in the Gryffindor house, and some students outside of it, that Hermione was in love with Harry. Well, clear to everyone except Harry and Ron. So when Harry was talking to Dean Seamus about the new feelings he had noticed within his best male friend, Dean couldn't help but to say, "Well, why are you coming to me for this, mate? Shouldn't you be happy for them?"_

"_How can I be happy for them when my best friend and I love the same woman?" Harry said, nearly shouting. "Oh, wait… Dean, I…" _

_But it was too late, and Dean had on a smile Harry thought was a little to big than necessary. He had succeeded in getting Harry Potter to realize his feelings for Hermione Granger- something most students had been aware of since their 3__rd__ year or so. Harry stared at Dean._

"_You know she likes you too, right mate? And by like, I mean 'like-like,' just to clarify." _

_Harry's eyes grew wide. He needed to talk to Hermione right now! And so, he ran off, leaving behind a very satisfied looking Dean. But, he couldn't help but to wonder what would happen to Ron._

_Harry found Hermione in the Common Room reading. *What a surprise* Harry chuckled. As he walked towards her, he couldn't help but to notice the way the fire danced, reflected in her beautiful chestnut-colored eyes. He also watched as those eyes flew back and forth across the pages; she was completely engrossed in the book. And that was something Harry realized he loved about her- whatever held her attention was given her full attention. He knew he never had to worry about her thoughts wandering elsewhere while they were talking. Well, unless it was something important like finding the secret to the Chamber of Secrets or something. _

_How long had it been since those innocent feelings of "best friend" had become romantic? Even so, he knew he would never allow Hermione to be his- not with Ron in the way… Which brought him to the reason he came to speak to her today._

"_Hey Hermione," Harry spoke wearing his boyish smile._

_She looked up at him and smiled back. Harry could feel his heart clench- why didn't he realize it sooner? "Hello Harry. How are you?"_

_Harry sat down in the chair next to her and said, "Listen, Hermione. Can we talk? Privately?" _

"_Umm… Sure, Harry." She looked at him suspiciously. He led her outside to the grounds._

"_So Hermione…" Harry began. "Is there… anyone you like? Anyone you wish could be… more than a friend?"_

_That earned him another suspicious look, and she pretended to think for a little while. "Well, yes, I suppose there is."_

_Harry feigned surprise. "Well, Hermione, I just want you to know that I have someone like that as well. You are one of my best friends and all." Was that disappointment that shot through her face? He didn't have time to decide, for it was gone as quickly as it had come._

"_Wow, really? Has the great Harry Potter finally found someone worthy?" She said jokingly._

"_Yeah, I think I have," he said with a smile, but his eyes looked sad. His heart raced as he said, "And that person is you. But before you say anything!" he said quickly, watching her expression change from a look of anticipation to one he couldn't quite place. "I just want you to know that Ron feels the same way I do… and even if by some chance you loved me back… I know that I would never allow myself to be with you… as long as he feels this way… because I love you, Hermione… but I need to consider Ron's feelings too…" He was looking at the ground as he said this, but looked up to see what Hermione's response would be._

_It was then that he felt her lips gently touch his. His mind went blank and all he could focus on was how her soft, enticing lips were touching his. She pulled away all too soon._

_He sat there looking at her with surprise (genuine this time) on his face. She looked somewhat embarrassed as she said, "I love you too, Harry. And the fact that you're still thinking about how Ron feels makes me love you that much more." Harry could feel a small, sad grin form on his face. _

_*At least she understands…* But he couldn't help but wish that Ron loved someone else._

It was then he wondered how she felt towards him and Ron now. He was at least vaguely aware of how she had come to accept Ron's feelings for her, even returning them. Harry himself had liked a few women, Cho and Ginny for example, but could he honestly say he loved them?

She was still listening to the radio, listening and hoping she wouldn't hear any familiar names. He observed how her golden brown hair flowed flawlessly down to around her mid-back. He also noticed how she seemed to draw herself closer, pulling herself into a tighter ball as a certain song came on the radio- the one they had vaguely noticed was playing the day Ron left.

She was sitting with her head turned to face the radio- away from him. He could sense the sadness she felt and wished with all his heart that he could make it better. She didn't notice as he stood and walked towards her.

She looked up at him when he was standing in front of her, holding his hand out towards her. She grasped his hand, with a confused look on her face, and he helped her up. Harry removed the locket from her neck and tossed it onto the bed. He then pulled her over a few feet to an empty spot in the tent.

They stood with their hands together, and Harry began moving his arms, his hips, his legs in an odd manner. He had a look of apprehension on his face- looking at Hermione to make sure he wasn't doing anything wrong… anything that would cause her pain.

It was then she realized that he was dancing! Well, trying to anyways, and she couldn't help but smile. This, in turn, made him smile and encouraged him to keep going.

He spun her, she spun him, they laughed the entire time, rocked back and forth, and, even if for those few minutes, were carefree. Who cared if they weren't dancing in time to the music? Continued to dance wildly even though a slow song came on? There was no one there to judge them, and all that mattered was that they were having a good time.

About halfway through the slower song, their pace slowed and Harry wrapped his arms around her as she did the same, heads resting on each other's shoulders.

*Yes* thought Harry, *this is how it should be.*

They danced like this for a few seconds, though nowhere near long enough. Then, Hermione pulled away from him. They looked at one another, and Harry could see that she wasn't ready to give up on Ron yet. That was the only reason why he forced himself to resist the immense urge to kiss her at that moment.

She walked outside to take her turn as watch, and it pained him to watch her leave his embrace.

Little did he know that she wanted to kiss him just as much as he wanted to kiss her. Were those old feelings of affection she once held for Harry resurfacing? She didn't want to take that chance and left before she lost control. After all, he had Ginny now… And she had Ron…

She was sitting outside, reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a book of wizard children's stories that Dumbledore had left to her. Why would Dumbledore leave this, of all things, to her? She wanted to find out. The thing she found to be oddest was a symbol drawn on the first page- a triangle with a circle inscribed inside and a vertical line in the middle of the circle…

Suddenly, Harry ran up. "I want to go to Godric's Hollow," he stated.

"What? You know _he's_ expecting you to go there." And no, she wasn't talking about Ron.

"That's exactly why we need to go! You-know-who almost died there. It's the perfect place to hide a Horcrux!" Ron was right for once… they hadn't been making much progress in this Horcrux-hunt.

"Alright, we'll go," Hermione said after giving it some thought.

And soon they Disapparated and arrived in Godric's Hollow.

It was dark when they arrived. Harry slipped his arm around Hermione's and they walked down the street with their arms entwined. Anyone who saw them would have assumed they were closer than just best friends.

It wasn't long before they passed a few houses and Hermione noted, "Harry, I think it's Christmas."

Harry just looked at the house with a golden glow emitting from the window, a family eating together inside. What he would give to be at Hogwarts, eating a Christmas feast with his friends all around him, laughing and enjoying himself, just like it used to be.

Soon, they walked by a cemetery and Harry paused. "Do you think they're in there? My parents, I mean," he asked Hermione.

Hermione looked over. "Yes, I think they would be…"

Harry walked in through the gate, and the two split up and began looking for the graves of Lily and James Potter.

Hermione looked around and found a grave stone covered in snow. It wasn't like the others around it, all of which were standing up. This one was like a box on the ground. She wiped off some snow and found the same symbol that was drawn in the book Dumbledore gave her. She realized this and called for Harry but saw him standing before two graves. Realizing what this must mean, she walked over.

He had found the graves of his parents. Hermione came up from behind him, knelt down, and produced a wreath with her wand for them. Harry gave her a sad smile as she stood and put her head on his shoulder.

*Yes, this is how it should be.*

They stood like that for a few minutes, when Hermione felt a strange tingling feeling on the back of her neck, like they were being watched. She looked around and sure enough, there was an old woman watching them.

"Harry, there's someone watching us," she whispered and glanced left, over to the woman. Harry slowly looked up and the woman began walking away…

****We all know what happens with the woman and the snake and everything, so I'm going to skip it. If you don't know, I suggest watching the movie!****

*That was too close!*

They found themselves in a forest with snow on the ground, trees bare, untouched by time. They had just barely gotten away from the snake.

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

"The Forest of Dean. I came here once with my parents when I was young. It looks just the same as it did then. Of course, they wouldn't remember anything… Not the snow, the trees… not even me…" Hermione said sadly. She had cast an Obliviate spell to wipe any memory her parents had of her just before she left that summer.

Harry looked at the ground, hearing the pain in her voice, but not knowing what to do to take it away. Was there anything he could do?

It was then that she said, "I wish we could just stay here forever. Grow old together…" A small smile was visible on her face.

That was all Harry could take and he hugged her tight, as though he was never going to let go. That was all he ever wanted- to spend the rest of his life with her, and it seemed as though she had finally gotten over Ron. She hugged him back and they stood there in the snow just holding one another.

*This is how it should be.*

All too soon, Hermione said, "Harry, I need to cast the protective charms," smiling that beautiful smile.

"Ah, right…" captivated.

A little over a week later, Harry took the locket and took his post outside for the night. After sitting in the cold for a while, he thought he heard footsteps. He walked away from the tent, careful not to wake the sleeping Hermione. Suddenly, he saw what looked like a Patronus in the shape of a deer. He followed it to a frozen lake, where it dove through the ice, straight to Godric Gryffindor's sword.

He made a hole in the ice, stripped down to his undergarments (but left the locket on), and dove into the freezing water. He swam towards it, when suddenly the locket spazzed out and began pulling Harry back to the surface. It only found ice, however, and no matter how much Harry struggled to make his way back to the opening he made, it wouldn't let him.

He was beginning to lose consciousness when a strange figure dove in and rescued him. He was pulled out of the water and onto land. He hurried to put on his glasses. Was it Hermione?

He looked over and saw Ron burst out of the water, the sword in hand.

"Ron! You're back." Harry was overjoyed and depressed at the same time.

"Yeah," Ron said sheepishly. "I followed a deer here. I figured it must've been yours, calling for help."

"What? That wasn't yours? Anyways, Ron, my Patronus is a stag," Harry said smiling and putting on his clothes.

"Ah, right. Antlers." Ron made some with his hands, and Harry laughed.

They then began planning on how to destroy the locket.

"Ron, as soon as I open the locket, I need you to destroy it. You can't hesitate!"

"But-"

"Ron!"

"Ah, alright…"

"Okay, good. Ready?"

Ron nodded nervously.

"_Open_," Harry said in Parseltongue.

Suddenly, the locket opened and a huge black mass burst out.

"I have seen your heart… And it is mine… Ronald Weasley…"

Millions of spiders were released and headed towards Ron, who was backing away. Then, a ghost-like apparition of Harry and Hermione appeared. They were walking towards Ron.

"Who would choose _you_ over Harry Potter? What girl would choose _you_ over the Chosen One?" The image of Hermione mocked Ron. Then the image of Harry and Hermione began to kiss, embracing one another, completely naked. Ron stared in disbelief.

Had this locket seen what Harry's heart longed for? No, it had seen what Ron's heart feared most, and Harry knew the locket had to be destroyed.

"Ron! Kill it!"

Ron snapped to his senses, gripped the sword of Gryffindor, and ran over to where the locket lay. He yelled as he raised the sword over his head and swung down, right on the locket. The image disappeared, the black mass vanished, and the Horcrux was destroyed.

The young men stared at one another, taking in what had just happened, then got up and walked back to the tent.

Hermione was outside, and Harry walked up first. She screamed and yelled, "There you are!" running to him. "How are you?" she continued.

"I'm alright," Harry smiled. "Actually, I'm more than alright." He looked over at Ron, whom Hermione had failed to notice until now.

She followed his gaze and gasped. She looked as though she was going to cry. After making her cover up her feelings for Harry and leaving her once she did, who was he to come back _now_? Now, after she could finally be truthful to herself about who she 'loved'; now, after she had spent so many heart-warming moments with Harry; now, after she had finally gotten over the fact that he had left…

Ron proceeded to tell his story about the ball of light that whispered his name in Hermione's voice and how he knew that it would lead him to them. Was this Dumbledore's way of telling Harry it wasn't meant to be?

And it was then that Harry realized that he knew how it _should_ be…

But that would never be how it is…

**A/N: **Well, that's it! I hope you liked it. :) I swear the only reason JKR had Harry end up with Ginny and Hermione end up with Ron was so they'd all fit nicely into the Weasley family tree... _ *sigh...* Ah well... A girl can dream, right? ...And read fan-fiction. ^_^ By the way, I'll let you guys decide who was thinking the last two "This is how it should be"s. ;D


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